Beau Nikkal has not experienced frequent defeats in his athletic career, but he always seems to come back well.
It’s effectively a message that the three-time NCAA champion wrestler sent after breaking the silence following the disappointing outcome in the joint main event battle with Reinier de Ridder at UFC Des Moines. The promoted prospect suffered a knockout loss in the second round after De Ridar blows up Nikkal into his body on a brutal knee strike that ended the fight.
Certainly not the outcome he wanted, but Nikkal vowed that he would bounce back when it was time to fight again.
“Thank you for the highs and lows,” Nikkal wrote on Instagram. “I’m coming back.”
Shortly after the fight ended on Saturday, the top team in America (the gym that Nikkal calls home) also issued a brief statement on social media, reflecting a similar sense of the outcome.
“We’re already at the biggest stage in sports, under four years. Set-offs are part of the journey. Learn, grow, and come back strong. Bo Nikkal is back.”
It is already at its biggest stage in sports, under four years.
The retreat is part of the journey. Learn, grow, and come back strong. @Nobickal I’ll be back #ufc #MMA #wrestling #Resilience
– American Top Team (@americantopteam) May 4, 2025
Before losing to De Ridder on Saturday, Nickal was almost perfect in his MMA career with a perfect 7-0 record, including six wins by knockouts and submissions.
Nikkal even went to the decision after he faced veteran fighter Paul Craig on his previous outing, but his fortune turned to evil against De Ridder.
One champion in the previous two divisions gave Nikkar a fit to the clinch and even managed to control his outstanding on the ground after Dader was on top and the grappling exchange was finished.
But just as attention was paid to Nickal’s wrestling and De Ridder’s world-class jiu-jitsu, the difference in the fight was truly impressive.
As Nickal appears to be struggling with his movements, De Ridder begins to focus on his body, which actually began to unload a series of knee strikes. After Nickal threw the unlucky boxing combination, De Ridder put his knees back directly into the middle, and the 29-year-old middleweight collapsed onto the canvas.
The losses will lower Nikkal to 7-1 in his career, but apparently he is already planning to learn from this experience to get better results the next time.